My Review On KTM Duke 125

[firefox87]

First time I saw this bike, I go WOW!! What a nice bike! KTM?? WOOAHHH! AWESOME!! then I see the price. $9.5k machine price? FCUKING expensive. nvm.. I didn't bought it. I already sold my super 4 to buy a weekend car and I ride my gf's bike occasionally. so it's bike in the morning and afternoon and car at night. It was awesome to drive especially after just getting my license. but I miss riding. I don't really miss my super 4 but I miss my WR400(motard).

 

Since I'm still schooling, I know I can't afford my dream bike, KTM Duke 690 or Ducati Hypermotard 796. And true enough, my gf's bike starts to give some problems. the front side of the frame was already slanted due to a previous accident, cannot knock back in, scared later it will break instead upon hard hammering. now, the rear wheel got some wobble. nvm.. let's try to sell it back to the shop.

 

Reached Speedway Motors, tried to sell the bike at $3k. After some hard negotiation, the price was settled but if I changed to another bike there. I was thinking of gilera runner 1st hand but comparing the price of KTM 125 duke with it, it's just a few Ks more.

 

So I jumped right in and bought the KTM Duke 125 straightaway. Went there on a Tuesday and took out the bike on a Friday. Surprisingly, the bike shop didn't carrot me cos I expect most bike shops to have 'hidden' cost. Bought the bike at ard $11.8k OTR. but must pay $578 extra cos COE was $2078 instead of $1500 as agreed on the OTR pricing. in the end pay $500 more cos $78 was absorbed due to 15% NCD on insurance. +- here and there, shop ethic quite not bad la as compared to others.

 

bike cost me abt $12.3k OTR. after $1500 downpayment, my monthly installment is $226/mth for 60 mths at 5% yearly interest. not bad as compared to Dirtwheel's requirements for downpayment and their yearly interest. let's just say the total interest at dirtwheel for 4 years is more than my total interest at this shop for 5 years.

 

first time I rode it out from the shop, I pillioned my gf back. The transition to this bike was SOOO smooth. I have no problem getting used to this bike. The bike handling is AWESOME!! The CG is more centralised. the pipe is very short, just a bit behind my footrest. front fork is big for a 125cc bike. I can do a no-hander and also brake on the rear wheel to slow it down without any wobble!! that's how stable the bike is!! when I initially ride it, I was thinking, "WHAT!!! NO POWER SIA!!" nvm.. 125cc what. expected.

 

but I was doing hard run in on the bike. as i rode it through the RPMS and slowing it down, changing gears and all, I realised that the bike likes to be rev hard. gotta change gears at least 6k RPM and above. that's when I realise that, this bike packs more power for a 125cc bike.

 

let's talk about braking. the brake components are Bybre. it's a new company brand in India. but before you go WTF, Bybre is actually a subsidiary of Brembo. All Bybre components are designed by Brembo before being manufactured in India for smaller production cost. let's just say the brakes are good stuffs! just gotta wait and see if it will last through the years. front brakes is totally supermoto-style! awesomely strong front brakes. an overkill for this 125cc bike. even if you upgrade the power of this bike, I doubt if you still need to upgrade the front brakes. unless of course, the big bore kit of 200cc is available already. 1 of the reason the front brakes is responsive is that the brake lines are steel-braided!!! which bike comes stock with steel braided hose?? front 4-piston radial-mount brakes is good enough for this bike!!

 

going through the parts, double overhead camshaft (DOHC), tubular steel chassis, aluminum swingarm, inverted WP fork, WP monoshock rear suspension, directly to the swingarm. isn't it amazing already for a class 2B bike? i definitely see the potential to big bore this bike's engine!!

 

and the part that everyone's been waiting for, the DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER!! when you switch it on, you'll always smile as you wear your riding gears after seeing the 'ready to race' lighting up on the speedo meter. the Duke 125 reports on two trips km's, total km's, and when in reserve, updates a new mileage counter. it also reports the gear, various messages on the display, tachometer with shift light variable (with two options: flicker and power), engine temperature, petrol level, time, fuel consumption(km/l or l/km), duration of trip used, etc. Even they don't have this on a super 4 or a DRZ!! this kind of speedometer is only available on class 2 bikes!!!

 

having went through the parts, I realised that the $9.5k machine price is quite reasonable in comparison with other European bikes such as Aprilia RS125 or Yamaha R125. it all depends on individual preferences.

 

for this bike, moving off is quite slow at gear 1 and at low RPM. wait for it to rise in RPM and switch to gear 2. pull it up to a high RPM and you're ready to speed it up all the way to 100km/hr in no time. for me, entering an expressway at 100km/hr is no problem. but as you speed up to 100km/hr, the fuel consumption on the meter will range from 18km/l to 26km/l. don't worry. once you cruise at around 90km/hr, the meter will shows around 45-50km/l and when you cruise at around 100-105km/hr, the meter will shows around 35-40km/l.

 

I've rode this bike with 4 others to KL last weekend and made it back here safely. definitely durable for long distance. the coolant certainly covers any overheating problem. like all bikes, this bike won't like it when idling for too long, the temperature will rise when I got stuck in slight jams when on the way to JB to top up petrol. With a 11l tank, I always top up my petrol in JB!! usually I top up ard 8.5l of RON95 there. can save me quite a far bit of cash every month. normally, this bike's FC is around 35km/l. and I ride it quite hard. should be more for those who don't like to accelerate it hard. it's KTM afterall, ready to race!

 

When on the trip to KL, my cruising speed is at least 100km/hr. I discover that this bike can cruise at around 90-105km/hr. anything more, you're putting more stress on the engine. It's a KTM and the engine can be driven hard, just gotta change oil more frequent if you ride it hard like me. I rode at an average speed of 110km/hr on NSHW. no problem overtaking cars and the bike is quite stable when beside bus or lorries. just gotta duck lower and hold firm to prevent the wind draft from these big vehicles. that's where the big wheels and the bigger front fork plays a big role in this issue.

 

what else have I not covered eh? let's talk about cornering. the cornering is so freaking stable. just set the rear suspension harder if you want less bounce when cornering. for example, let's use the BKE(from Wdls) to KJE's S bend. I normally ride ard 100km/hr on the expressway and when entering the corner, I just dropped to 5th gear and brake a bit and then, starts to corner left just when the weight of the bike is transferred forward. even when cornering, i maintained the throttle and increased the speed to 105km/hr and starts to corner to the right. just as I exit the bend, I changed to 6th gear and throttled down the slope.

 

All this done on a single lane and not using both lanes!! this is the best example to show how stable the bike is when cornering!! but of course, I rarely do this la on busy roads. just at night to test this bike's full potential!! Also, cornering with only one hand is also possible. nothing to do with the rider's skill, just that the bike's is very stable for cornering! so the price is worth it on this bike. only 1 bike can beat this on a 125cc engine, and that's aprilia RS125. but then again, that's a 2-stroker.

 

this bike is expensive to buy. but with low fuel consumption and just 1.5l of EO, it's certainly more fun to ride than my previous ride, a super 4 which is heavy to flick it left and right when cornering. NO REGRETS BUYING THIS BIKE!

Edited October 25, 2011 by firefox87

[firefox87]

My bike at KL.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/309510_290908874261401_100000268717430_1087301_477978009_n.jpg

DIY tail tidy with no pillion footrest! and that's without any spray painting. check out some others!

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/317319_1519120195043_1745694803_759502_1156183540_n.jpg

 

For more pics of my bike on the KL trip, visit here.

[darrenomc]

nice written review!

[CSV]

nice bike, though the price puts me off.

 

saw it on the highway, so striking the colour.

 

only 6 around in sg right now? more to be registered soon.

[firefox87]

nice bike, though the price puts me off.

 

saw it on the highway, so striking the colour.

 

only 6 around in sg right now? more to be registered soon.

 

nope! much more than that! 5 went to KL already! and I think there's around 20 from the 1st batch and I bought the bike from the 2nd batch already.

[deathism]

I really like this bike..but the price...

 

I wouldn't want to spend that much on a 2B bike.

 

[deathism]

double post!

Edited October 25, 2011 by deathism

[ggc9898]

nice ang moh bike

[tongkol]

Nice write up my friend. You have covered almost all aspect of the bike.

You can't expect so much from a 125cc bike. In terms of speed, fuel consumption & sterdiness I guess a new license holder would love it.

The amount of money spent is worthwhile.

Slotting more photos of the individual parts will do good.

[tongkol]

Are there any other area where an upgrade is necessary?

[firefox87]

I really like this bike..but the price...

 

I wouldn't want to spend that much on a 2B bike.

 

yeah.. depends on individual. don't see it as just a 2b bike. ask yourself what you need in a bike, and this bike basically answer most of your questions!

Nice write up my friend. You have covered almost all aspect of the bike.

You can't expect so much from a 125cc bike. In terms of speed, fuel consumption & sterdiness I guess a new license holder would love it.

The amount of money spent is worthwhile.

Slotting more photos of the individual parts will do good.

yeah.. totally agree with you. as for more photos, can always Google? hehe!

 

Are there any other area where an upgrade is necessary?

perhaps, wait for the big bore kit to come. i foresee 200cc big bore kit coming soon!! or change to aftermarket pipe. or change to a better tyre. anyway, the stock tyre is Metzeler. it's better than most other bikes' stock tyres. the rest are basically comestic improvements.

[Mr.Han]

nice review. The bike looks good too

too bad its only 125cc

and those big bore kit most of the time not very durable

[danielb]

stock tyre is metzler meh??? or MRF?

[smrt]

freaking good bike! couple of questions if i may: is there a readily made crash cage for the duke 125? also, at 125, hows the u-turning like?

thanks man.

[keyxblade]

nice bike i saw quite a few around. starting to see more of this bike around the street.

[Jehuty]

If only it was cheaper, praying for 2nd hand, would be a nifty transport bike hikhikhik. Big bore kit? Can't bore it without kit?

[jibei]

Great review! Changed my impression totally but 1.5L EO for 2B bikes is too much.

[KTM EGS 1911]

Hi Firefox 87 ! What was the Avg speed you going at KL ? And how long before a stop point to cool the bike down ? Me also thinking to get the Runner or a Duke . Thanks

[interpol]

I'm waiting for the 200cc! Any idea when will it be available?

[firefox87]

stock tyre is metzler meh??? or MRF?

 

i also not sure.. haha! let me check again!

 

nice review. The bike looks good too

too bad its only 125cc

and those big bore kit most of the time not very durable

big bore kit are actually depending on the type of engines. cos from what I heard, ktm 400 and ktm 450 use the same engine cover, just different pistons and etc.

 

If only it was cheaper, praying for 2nd hand, would be a nifty transport bike hikhikhik. Big bore kit? Can't bore it without kit?

ya la.. so just gotta wait!

freaking good bike! couple of questions if i may: is there a readily made crash cage for the duke 125? also, at 125, hows the u-turning like?

thanks man.

crash cage, gotta wait for aftermarket lor.. and as for u-turn, ok for me. cos i just turn it hard with one leg out.. hehe!

 

Great review! Changed my impression totally but 1.5L EO for 2B bikes is too much.

1.5L is ok la. cos the compression ratio of the bike is quite high.. perhaps, there's a correlation.

 

Hi Firefox 87 ! What was the Avg speed you going at KL ? And how long before a stop point to cool the bike down ? Me also thinking to get the Runner or a Duke . Thanks

ard 100-120km/hr. sometimes, 130km/hr just to stretch the limit but cannot constant 130km/hr la.. later engine spoil. and we rode for ard 1.5-2 hrs la for every stop. basically only 2 stops in between. but to cool the bike, not really la. cos the coolant is good enough already on top of being air-cooled.

I'm waiting for the 200cc! Any idea when will it be available?

i guess it's around march 2012.

[onelegkick]

Bro

 

Very good review on the bike. I think you covered almost everything a newbie 2B will need to know about this bike. And VERY NICE Paint Job on your KTM Duke 125 in the second picture with the matching Orange and wwhite banded wheels. You mention pillion seat is DIY? I thought Pillion Seat is standard on DUKE 125?

 

Please post more pics of your ride. It looks awesome but I cant get enough of it.

[danielb]

Bro

 

Very good review on the bike. I think you covered almost everything a newbie 2B will need to know about this bike. And VERY NICE Paint Job on your KTM Duke 125 in the second picture with the matching Orange and wwhite banded wheels. You mention pillion seat is DIY? I thought Pillion Seat is standard on DUKE 125?

 

Please post more pics of your ride. It looks awesome but I cant get enough of it.

 

More info here!!!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SgDukers/

[haoKR]

i think e 200cc version will b 2k more on e price tag

[lizatailor23]

Really nice bike. I love to ride it.

[edwinling]

i think e 200cc version will b 2k more on e price tag

 

50% right...1k more

 

http://www.ktm.com.sg/index.php